For Immediate Release
September 1, 2021
CLARK ART INSTITUTE PRESENTS CONVERSATION ON ARTIST NIKOLAI ASTRUP AND HIS RELATIONSHIP TO THE LAND
Williamstown, Massachusetts—On Tuesday, September 14, in conjunction with the exhibition Nikolai Astrup: Visions of Norway, Patricia Berman, Theodora L. and Stanley H. Feldberg Professor of Art at Wellesley College, discusses Nikolai Astrup’s work within the context of the identity of land and its representation in the Nordic countries from the 1890s to the 1920s. This free conversation will be presented on Zoom and Facebook Live at noon.
Astrup (1880–1928) came of age in the final decades leading up to Norway’s independence from Sweden in 1905. In the same years, Norwegian artists developed a robust relationship with advanced international art—Astrup among them—animating land and landscape with heightened color and expressive linework. Astrup’s distinctive works in paint and graphic media share in, and amplify, the understanding of land with other Norwegian artists, notably Edvard Munch and Harald Sohlberg, and the investment of mood and emotion into landscape representation explored by Swedes Richard Bergh and Anna Boberg and Danes Jens Ferdnind Willumsen and P. S. Krøyer, among others. Astrup’s practices are explored within the particular dynamics of modern art in the North and the ways in which local and international ideas meshed or collided among the members of the artist’s generation.
Registration is required. Registrants will receive an email with a private Zoom link to this live virtual program before the event. Visit clarkart.edu/events to register.
Nikolai Astrup: Visions of Norway is organized by the Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts, in cooperation with KODE Art Museums and Composer Homes, Bergen, the Savings Bank Foundation DNB, and Prince Eugen’s Waldemarsudde. It is guest curated by independent scholar MaryAnne Stevens.
The exhibition is generously supported by the Savings Bank Foundation DNB. Significant funding is provided by the Asbjorn Lunde Foundation, Inc. with additional support from Richard and Carol Seltzer, Diane and Andreas Halvorsen, and the Norwegian Consulate General, New York. The exhibition catalogue has been published with generous support from the Savings Bank Foundation DNB and additional support from the Asbjorn Lunde Foundation, Inc.
This program is supported by grants from the Asbjorn Lunde Foundation, Inc., the Norwegian Consulate General, New York, and the Dr. Lee MacCormick Edwards Charitable Foundation.
ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of more than 275,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.
The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday, from September through June, and daily in July and August. Advance timed tickets are required. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, all visitors age 21 and under, and students with a valid student ID. Free admission is available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For more information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.
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